Society may have already reached a point where protecting privacy has become impossible, and many legal experts are "united in pessimism" about the collection and use of big data, according to a communications ...

The U.S. recession that began in December 2007 may have officially ended in June 2009, but in terms of job status, pay and retirement options, American workers are feeling its lingering negative impact, according to a new ...

A judge warned lawyers for authors and publishers and Google Tuesday that he will decide whether snippets of books can be sold online without the permission of copyright holders if the sides do not settle their 6-year-old ...

Students' social skills and behaviour in social situations during their university studies contribute to their success in the transition to work. The social strategies adopted during university studies also have an impact ...

(PhysOrg.com) -- After trying a new skill-based product, people think it will take them longer to learn how to use it than it actually will.This leads to them prematurely abandoning products that could be beneficial for them.The ...

(PhysOrg.com) -- Public attitude may be as important as public policy when it comes to the economy, according to UC Irvine’s Fabio Milani. A new economic model developed by the assistant professor of economics ...

A study of patients undergoing elective facial plastic surgery suggests that older patients and those currently being treated for depression may be more likely to be satisfied with the results of their procedures, whereas ...

Pessimism

Pessimism, from the Latin word pessimus (worst), is a state of mind in which one perceives life negatively. Value judgments may vary dramatically between individuals, even when judgments of fact are undisputed. The most common example of this phenomenon is the "Is the glass half empty or half full?" situation. The degree in which situations like these are evaluated as something good or something bad can be described in terms of one's optimism or pessimism respectively. Throughout history, the pessimistic disposition has had effects on all major areas of thinking.

Philosophical pessimism is the similar but not identical idea that life has a negative value, or that this world is as bad as it could possibly be. It has also been noted by many philosophers that pessimism is not a disposition as the term commonly connotes. Instead, it is a cogent philosophy that directly challenges the notion of progress and what may be considered the faith-based claims of optimism.